Six Go to Islay

Here I am at the Holy-Of-Holies.  First in the car park - an hour before the first tour ( I had to get on the first ferry off Jura - along with the school kids and teacher -Jura is a friendly island - they all waved "hello" as I sped past (not hitching - as I could see the school bus in my rear view mirror)

Shortly to be joined by a second bearded middle aged balding bloke also sporting a black fleece, jeans and Canon SLR (he was from Italy). 

Eventually we were six - four more Italians - this time, with wonderfully clear diction (Air traffic controllers all)

Here is where the peat comes from - good for a few hundred more years it is believed

Transport for the sacred peat

This gentleman is a senior specialist at Laphroaig.

With his wife cutting peat, to dry over the summer for use as winter heating fuel.  It used to be that you slipped the farmer a couple of bottles of malt - but now the cost is ca. £40 a year - and you have to do all the work yourselves

They have been busy

Hen Harrier - Male - at the RSPB reserve "The Oa" - no choughs though, not here nor at Loch Gruinart

Calm seas in Loch an t-Sailein

Remarkably buoyant seals in Loch an t-Sailen.  In the top right you can see a falling stick - I guess dropped by a passing bird?

I ran out of time to experience Loch Finlaggan properly

No its not The Tardis - just the MV Finlaggan - built in Gdansk in 2010

Once in Kennacraig everybody screams off the ferry and attempts to overtake while the road is straight (why do slow drivers never ever pull over and let you past)

There were several lorries and they let them off first - and it was a long twisty road to Glasgow.

I took a risk and followed "Audi Driver" - who had overtaken me and a slow French registered car all whilst going at a fair fraction of the speed of sound through the pitch black of the highland night - onto a single track road bypass round Tarbert - with my big 3 litre silver Vorsprung-durch-Technik crumple zone 100m in front we made dangerously good time and managed to get past all the lorries.

The B8024 racetrack around Tarbert - it is a shame the Portavadie-Tarbert ferry does not synchronise with the Islay-Kennacraig - means you have to go the long way round to Glasgow.

It was then one long variable-speed queue on the A83 all the way to Loch Lomond - apart from screaming ascent and descent of "Rest And Be Thankful" - where there are straights with good visibility.

Why is it always this mad rush from ferry ports? - Fishguard is even worse.  Surely they could disembark cars before caravans and both before lorries.